The Fortunes and Misfortunes of the Famous Moll Flanders by Daniel Defoepage 2 of 443 (00%)

and the style of the famous lady we here speak of is a littlealtered; particularly she is made to tell her own tale in modesterwords that she told it at first, the copy which came first tohand having been written in language more like one still inNewgate than one grown penitent and humble, as sheafterwards pretends to be.

The pen employed in finishing her story, and making it whatyou now see it to be, has had no little difficulty to put it intoa dress fit to be seen, and to make it speak language fit to beread. When a woman debauched from her youth, nay, evenbeing the offspring of debauchery and vice, comes to give anaccount of all her vicious practices, and even to descend to theparticular occasions and circumstances by which she ran throughin threescore years, an author must be hard put to it wrap itup so clean as not to give room, especially for vicious readers,to turn it to his disadvantage.

All possible care, however, has been taken to give no lewdideas, no immodest turns in the new dressing up of this story;no, not to the worst parts of her expressions. To this purposesome of the vicious part of her life, which could not bemodestly told, is quite left out, and several other parts arevery much shortened. What is left 'tis hoped will not offendthe chastest reader or the modest hearer; and as the best useis made even of the worst story, the moral 'tis hoped will keepthe reader serious, even where the story might incline him tobe otherwise. To give the history of a wicked life repented of,necessarily requires that the wicked part should be make aswicked as the real history of it will bear, to illustrate and give